Drinking tea is as central to life in Chengdu as its pungent Sichuan peppercorns or the city’s other favourite pastime, mah-jong.

Many people carry flasks, pre-filled with tea leaves, ready for hot water wherever they go. Others head to the city’s many teahouses.

A single street might be populated with five or six different teahouses; the same again can be found on the next. It’s a density that persists whether you’re in the heart of the city or in the suburbs.